THE PROSPECT OF ADDRESSING PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES WITH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT): A SURVEY OF MINNA METROPOLIS, NIGER STATE

Abstract

Amongst all basic human needs, shelter happens to be one of the most essentials, hence acquisition and management of rental property by individuals become very important. Often, the process of advertising and securing rental housing is cofounded by some challenges on prospective tenants and property managers. Nevertheless, with current paradigm shifts in the World towards technology, the housing sector is presented with a new strategy to facilitate easy management of rental houses. In line with this, this study investigated the challenges faced by stakeholders in rental housing within Minna metropolis of Niger State and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by the stakeholders. Thus, the study adopted simple random sampling technique and data were collected through structured questionnaires. Based on our findings, the process of advertising and securing accommodation is not convenient for tenants. Likewise, agents are grappling with impersonation, financial crime etc. Again, ICT is underutilized for rental housing by stakeholders despite its availability. Therefore, this study craved for development of ICT platforms to ease the issues surrounding property management.